• 한국정밀공학회지
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• 제23권2호
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• pp.172-180
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• 2006

Although there existed many types of manual/power hybrid wheelchairs, their use was not widespread because of their inconvenience in converting drive system and in folding frames. To carry a wheelchair in the car or to convert driving methods, some hard work of disassembling or exchanging wheels was required for most of currently available hybrid wheelchairs. In this study, the standard foldable manual wheelchair was reformed to a power wheelchair by installing the newly developed Axial Flux Permanent Magnet(AFPM) type of brush less direct current(BLDC) motor on each rear hub of wheelchair. This wheelchair could be driven by manual or electric power without exchanging. wheels, thus no additional work was needed for carriage or for power conversion. The developed wheelchair was evaluated for durability, stability, maneuverability, cost, and reliability in accordance with the Korean standards. The results indicated that the developed hybrid wheelchair was good enough for commercialization comparing to other imported wheelchairs.

• 대한인간공학회지
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• 제33권2호
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• pp.109-124
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• 2014

Objective: This study was conducted for one-hand users including hemiplegic clients currently using general folding manual wheelchairs, so as to analyze their specific problems and recommend solutions regarding usage. Background: Traditional manual wheelchairs require considerable use and control of both hands for operation, thus adaptations become necessary for individuals with asymmetrical use of hands. Method: Thirty hemiplegic clients who were admitted to rehabilitation and convalescent hospitals participated as subjects. The research tools were general folding manual wheelchairs commonly used by people with impaired gait, and the Wheelchair Skills Tests (WST) WST-M/WCU 4.1 version was adopted as the assessment tool. All participants were asked to fill out questionnaires on demographics and wheelchair usage characteristics. Assessment procedures were performed with currently used manual wheelchairs and with/without the use of foot to control the wheelchair. Results: When the participants drove folding manual wheelchairs without the use of foot, even the lowest failure rate among the WST items tested recorded 96.7%. On the contrary, with the use of foot in maneuvering the wheelchairs, failure rates dropped noticeably and success rate among the WST items tested was as high as 86.7%. Conclusion: These findings imply that the use of one-arm (hand) propellable (drivable) wheelchair can be an active and effective solution in resolving problems for hemiplegic clients using existing manual wheelchairs. As such, the government should provide institutional support to further develop and distribute this device or technology, and promote relative research in tandem. For now, the supply of commercially available device to hemiplegic clients is deemed urgent and also a mechanism to provide the devices and relevant services. Application: This study offers viable solutions for hemiplegic clients who rely on existing manual wheelchairs to increase their mobility and occupational performance.

• 한국정밀공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국정밀공학회 2010년도 춘계학술대회 논문집
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• pp.1421-1422
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• 2010

• 대한기계학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한기계학회 2001년도 춘계학술대회논문집C
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• pp.464-469
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• 2001

This work provides the biomechanical evaluations of a manual wheelchair with a bi-directional driving system. The new propulsion strategy can be accomplished by employing a special gear system that converts the oscillatory motion of a handrim into the unidirectional output motion of a wheel. A main feature of the forward. backward propulsion is to supply continuous driving torque without break. Motion. analysis has been performed through 2-dimensional image processing for measuring the kinematic properties of the upper arm and fore arm. Then, the inverse dynamics analysis has been done for obtaining the joint torques, the handrim forces and input/output powers. Results show that the output power by the forward. reverse propulsion is almost twice as much as that by conventional propulsion. Also, the new propulsion is expected to reduce the fatigues and injuries at arm joints by employing more muscle groups for movement. In conclusion, the forward. reverse propulsion can greatly improve the performances of manual wheelchairs by providing better mobility as well as by guaranteeing several advantages from a biomechanical viewpoint. Future development of a manual wheelchair optimized for the bi-directional propulsion will further improve the propulsion performances.

• 도시과학
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• 제10권1호
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• pp.1-10
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to evaluate accessibility condition of buildings in a college from manual wheel chair users' perspective in order to suggest improvements, and to develop 3D accessibility maps in order to assist manual wheelchair users' prior planning for the building use. In May 2020, on-site investigation was held to three buildings in Chungbuk National University. Major findings were as follows. (1) There were some building entrances that showed level difference over 2cm without proper ramp with slow slope 1/8 or less. (2) Some rooms were found to have accessibility issues to have floors with height more than 2cm, and/or to have no height-adjustable desks. (3) Although accessible restrooms were in good condition for manual wheelchair users' access and use, it is suggested to install accessible restroom for each gender in each floor for better access. Using the study results, 2-dimensional accessibility maps for each floor were developed in color and grayscale, which were further developed into 3-dimensional accessibility maps for each building.

• 한국주거학회논문집
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• 제28권2호
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• pp.23-33
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• 2017

This study was aimed to assess accessibility situation of pedestrian environment of University-C focusing on accessibility of manual wheelchair users and to develop accessibility campus map. During March and April 2016, barrierfree design application situation of pedestrian environment and building entrances were investigated using a structured checklist and a digital distance and slope meter. Major findings are as follow. (1) Except one case, widths of all pedestrian routes (both sidewalk and non-sidewalk routes) exceeded 2 meters. (2) As for sidewalk and driveway contact point condition, there were many spots lacking curb ramp or alterative ramp that are accessible for manual wheelchair users. (3) More than half of non-sidewalk pedestrian routes did not have bollard to separate pedestrian and vehicle flows, and more than 92% of the bollards installed were too close for wheelchair users to pass or too far to prevent vehicle access. (4) More than 59 percent of the building entrances were found impossible for manual wheelchair users to access without any assistance, and one third of the buildings did not have any single accessible entrance. Based on the study findings, campus accessibility map was developed by the researchers and disseminated through university homepage. Using the campus accessibility map, users can plan their accessible paths ahead the trip.

• 재활복지공학회논문지
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• 제7권1호
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• pp.21-27
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• 2013

수동 휠체어의 추진은 추진 동작의 낮은 효율로 인하여 사용자의 상지 관절에 고통과 부상까지 유발할 수 있다. 이에 따라 수동 휠체어 추진 중에 발생하는 상지 관절의 운동역학적 해석이 필요하다. 본 연구에서는 수동 휠체어 추진 중 상지 관절에 작용하는 토크를 구할 수 있는 2차원 역동역학 모델을 개발하였다. 개발한 모델은 시상면에서 상완, 하완, 손에 해당하는 3개의 체절로 상지를 구성하였고 몸통으로부터 3개의 체절을 회전조인트로 연결한 개방연쇄구조를 갖는다. 역동역학 해는 뉴턴-오일러 방법으로 구하였고 요구되는 입력자료는 실험을 통하여 획득하였다. 수동 휠체어 추진에 필요한 상지 거동의 운동학적 자료는 3차원 동작분석 시스템에서 추출하였고 역동역학 모델의 외력에 해당하는 운동역학적 자료는 브레이크식 다이나모미터에서 추출하였다. 역동역학 모델을 이용한 해석을 통하여 수동 휠체어 추진에 따른 상지 관절의 회전각과 관절 토크를 구하였다. 개발된 모델은 상지 관절에 관한 생체역학적 해석 도구이며 적은 노력으로 3차원 역동역학 모델로 확장하는 토대가 된다.

• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
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• 제43권4호
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• pp.241-250
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• 2022

It is known that chronic pain and injury of upper limb joint tissue in manual wheelchair users is usually caused by muscle imbalance, and the propulsion speed is reported to increase this muscle imbalance. In this study, kinematic variables, electromyography, and ultrasonographic images of the upper limb were measured and analyzed at two different propulsion speeds to provide a quantitative basis for the risk of upper extremity joint injury. Eleven patients with spinal cord injury for the experimental group (G_E) and 27 healthy adults for the control group (G_C) participated in this study. Joint angles and electromyography were measured while subjects performed self-selected comfortable and fast-speed wheelchair propulsion. Ultrasound images were recorded before and after each propulsion task to measure the acromiohumeral distance (AHD). The range of motion of the shoulder (14.35 deg in G_E; 20.24 deg in G_C) and elbow (5.25 deg in G_E; 2.57 deg in G_C) joints were significantly decreased (p<0.001). Muscle activation levels of the anterior deltoid, posterior deltoid, biceps brachii, and triceps brachii increased at fast propulsion. Specifically, triceps brachii showed a significant increase in muscle activation at fast propulsion. AHD decreased at fast propulsion. Moreover, the AHD of G_E was already narrowed by about 60% compared to the G_C from the pre-tests. Increased load on wheelchair propulsion, such as fast propulsion, is considered to cause upper limb joint impingement and soft tissue injury due to overuse of the extensor muscles in a narrow joint space. It is expected that the results of this study can be a quantitative and objective basis for training and rehabilitation for manual wheelchair users to prevent joint pain and damage.

• 재활복지공학회논문지
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• 제3권1호
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• pp.1-6
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• 2009

본 조사는 휠체어를 사용하는 장애인이 차량을 탑승할 때 휠체어 수납에 대한 불편함을 파악하여, 향후 관련 제품 개발에 개념설계를 하고자 실시하였다. 연구는 수동휠체어를 사용하고 있으며, 자가 운전을 할 수 있는 장애인 50명을 대상으로 직접 면담하는 설문조사 방식으로 실시하였다. 그 결과 설문에 참여한 88%의 장애인이 차량에 휠체어를 수납할 수 있는 보조 장치의 개발이 필요하다고 응답하였다. 이러한 장치로써 차량 트렁크에서 로봇팔이 차량의 운전석 문까지 나와서 휠체어를 트렁크에 수납하는 방법을 가장 선호하였다.

• 한국생산제조학회지
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• 제22권3_1spc호
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• pp.580-586
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• 2013

In general, manual wheelchairs have played important roles in moving patients from one place to another. However, patients have experienced discomfort getting on and off because of the need for physical assistance. This can be more serious if a patient has handicaps involving the arms or legs. In addition, it could be unpleasant for both the patient and assistant because of the need for extensive physical contact with each other. At times, a weak nurse feels that there is a risk when transferring a heavy patient from a bed to a wheelchair. In this paper, a new non-powered wheelchair is designed to assist in transferring a patient to their bed. This design considers the convenience of both the patient and assistant when the patient is transferred from a wheelchair to a bed and vice versa. The operation minimizes the physical contact between the assistant and the patient. The new wheelchair is also lightweight and portable compared with the normal popular wheelchair.